The One Thing Missed
by BAdeMorte
Summary: The Holmes brothers always miss something in their deductions. With Molly and Anthea the most obvious thing missed is that they're cousins. What happens when the girls try to unwind away from the brothers in Scotland with a lot of whiskey. I, of course, own absolutely nothing. Mores the pity.


Chapter 1: A Bottle of Whiskey and a Pub In Gretna Green

If anyone in London saw the two women sitting together in a pub, they would have done a double take at the sight. Dr. Molly Hooper and Anthea usually didn't cross paths. It wasn't by design. It was just how things worked out. Just like how no one really knew that Molly and Anthea were cousins, or how both of them were now getting roaring drunk because of the Holmes brothers.

Arranging the shot glasses in front of them before Anthea grabbed the bottle of whiskey, she brushed some of her long hair from her face, "I swear. If they keep this up, we're going to need new livers. Still, we can have fun, until then. Did you tell anyone where you went?"

Molly had been focusing on the glasses in front of them. Almost as if she was willing the whiskey to move into them, so she could have a drink. She blinked her large brown eyes, trying to adjust to the smoke that filled the area.

Biting her lip, she shrugged a slim shoulder, "Mary. She already knows everything. Better yet, she won't tell anyone. Knowing those two, they won't even think to ask. Mike just knows that I'm on a mini holiday. He never asks for details. Sherlock is on a case in Wales. So, I don't have to worry about him popping into Bart's for anything. I think that's it on my end. You?"

Anthea shook her head as she poured the whiskey into the glasses, "Nope. Just a request off. Mycroft had to do something out of the country and couldn't take me. Seemed like a perfect time for some family bonding. I'll be back before his return flight lands. He'll never know."

Grabbing her glass, Molly paused before asking, "Have you ever thought about telling them? You know. That we're cousins?"

Anthea snorted and rolled her eyes as she grabbed her glass, "No. Why should we? They're the ones that keep saying how clever they are and how they can deduce everything. Not our fault that they didn't figure out that we're related. I kind of like the idea that we've pulled something over them, even if it was unintentional. So, here's to being that one thing they've missed."

Molly giggled and clinked her glass against Anthea's before they both downed their shots. Molly shivered, while Anthea slammed the palm of her hand against the table a few times and stomped her foot. After they both took a few breaths, Anthea started pouring again.

Watching her cousin with a sigh, Molly rested her chin on her hands, "At least you're important. I'm just the one that supplies body parts and fake deaths. Other than that, I might as well not exist."

Anthea set the bottle down before she threw her head back laughing, "Are you serious? I'm just the messenger. If I'm not picking up people to take them to 'mysterious locations' for Mycroft to question, I'm picking up that man's pastry order, and that's not a euphemism. I get the joy of doing this, while texting on my phone 24/7 making sure he doesn't inadvertently start a war that he wasn't planning."

Molly blinked a few times and frowned, "How do you inadvertently start a war?"

Thumping her hand on the table after she took another shot, "Whine to the Ambassador of Latvia that he took the last eclair, and then proceed to tell the man why he needed the comfort food more than you. Yeah. I was worried that there would have been a fist fight ending with bombs."

Molly stared in shock as Anthea took another drink. After a moment or two, she drank her shot, and poured another one. This was repeated a few times.

It was strange. They had never been really close, being distant cousins and all. It wasn't until Anthea had to bring Molly to one of those 'mysterious locations' meeting that they even knew that they both were involved with the Holmes brothers. It didn't take them long to figure out they would need each other to cope. Kinda like a support group of two, where they could vent, worry, and just have someone that understood what they were going through. They were in unique positions.

The get-togethers had tapered off, while Sherlock had been dismantling Moriarty's web, but had started to become an almost weekly after he came back from the dead. It seemed the Holmes brothers in the same country became stressful to everyone around them. If they could figure out how they could focus that on the enemies and criminals, everyone would be happy. Unfortunately, neither Molly or Anthea had figured out how to do that yet.

Wrinkling her nose, Molly tugged on the ends of her ponytail, "I'm rather surprised. Mycroft didn't seem like the one to indulge in temper tantrums. At least not while he's on the job."

Anthea shrugged as she looked at her drink, "Oh, he usually is pretty good about that. We can blame him trying a new diet for that blip in decorum. He's like a grumpy bear, when he's trying to lose weight. YOURS didn't help by sending a diet cookbook with a passive aggressive note. That was a...'not good' moment as, John would say. I have pictures, if you want to see."

Molly giggled a bit more and waved her hand in front of her, "Oh no. Not that I wouldn't find it entertaining, but we both agreed not to touch our phones, while here. We're suppose to be off the grid. Can't do that, when you turn on your phone."

Anthea leaned back in her chair with a grin, "Please. I made sure to have a clean phone. Even if Mycroft tries to track me, he's only going to get the phone that's locked up in my office. Relax, and look at my boss in action. I didn't think a person could shred a 400 page book with their bare hands, but he proved me wrong."

With a snicker, Molly took the phone and started to flip through the photos of the eldest Holmes brother having a rather impressive fit. She didn't think she ever seen Sherlock act that bad, and she had seen some doozies. By the last photo both Molly and Anthea were howling with laughter at what they saw.

With tears in her eyes, she handed the phone back to Anthea, "Lord! I thought I saw everything, until now."

Taking the phone, while shaking her head, she still chuckled, "Amazing that they're actually grown men. Still, you have to admit that they're never boring."

Molly rolled her eyes and sighed at what she said, "Tell me about it. Do you ever wonder about us? I mean, that maybe there is something wrong with us? Most women go with the nice guy that likes doing silly things with you. I had that with Tom and I was bored out of my mind. I just kept wishing that I could go on more cases with Sherlock. Maybe I need therapy."

Still smiling, Anthea tucked her phone into her jacket pocket before leaning her arms on the table, "Sherlock asked almost the same thing on that lovely Christmas with Irene. It was right after he identified the body by, as you so eloquently put it,'not her face'. Mycroft pulled his usual Iceman routine.' Caring is not an advantage'. That's what he said. I was so angry that he said that to his brother. I understand -why- he did it, but that was the wrong thing to say."

Molly knew which Christmas Anthea was talking about. Part of her wanted to forget that night completely. Sherlock had delivered the most humiliating experience in her life and that included unknowingly dating a criminal mastermind who may or may not have been gay. The bright side of that night was that she got a rare apology and a kiss. It was only on the cheek, but she was going to count it.

She frowned as she asked Anthea, "I don't get it. What was Mycroft doing? Was he trying to make Sherlock even more emotionally isolated? He's lucky I didn't hear that. I would have slapped him for saying something so stupid."

Anthea choked on her drink and coughed a little. When she could finally breathe, she said, "I would have paid to see that. No matter how inadvisable that would be. Seriously, Molly. When did you become so slap happy?"

When Molly just answered with a shrug, she continued, "I'm sure you've noticed that Sherlock is the most emotionally volatile of the two. Mycroft almost lost him to drugs a few times. Control the emotions and the person will be able to control himself better. That man is completely all or nothing with how he does things. You've witness that yourself many times. What Mycroft fails to realize is that Sherlock needs to learn how to control his emotions. Not shut them off completely. That's just asking for an explosion that's equivalent to what Vesuvius did to Pompeii. Soooo not something we need."

Molly nodded at what she said, while looking down at her glass. Sherlock was a force of nature: volatile and unpredictable. She had been on the receiving end of his mercurial moods many times. Scary part was that he actually trusted her. She would hate to see what he would do to someone that didn't count to him. She was sure that the tattered remains of Moriarty's web could attest to that.

Sitting up a little straighter, Molly waved her hand in front of herself and said, "Enough serious talk. Let's talk about something fun. After all, that's what we're here for. Not revisiting old business."

Anthea smirked before taking another shot, "Oh! You want fun, Little Cousin? I think we can do that."

She tapped her fingers to her lips in thought before she said, "I got it! Let's talk about secrets. You game?"

Molly bit her lip in thought. Both of them had some interesting secrets. It wouldn't be dull, but it could get uncomfortable pretty fast. Still, they would be uncomfortable together.

Molly nodded after she downed another whiskey, "Fine. I'll go first. Why did you help Irene? John told me about that pick up."

Anthea stilled and then started laughing, "Going in big, I see. Very well. Two reasons really. I thought it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on her. I also knew that Yours wouldn't be able to resist following John, if he thought Mine was trying to tell the doctor something behind his back. Sibling rivalry can be a good thing, if you know how to work it. The second reason is because I had a one off with her. Nothing serious, So, the favor she wrangled from me wasn't that big in nature. The boys won of course."

Molly blinked a few times and sipped her next shot. She knew that Anthea was a bit more liberal with her tastes, but she hadn't been expecting that to be a reason. Her cousin rarely mixed business with her personal life.

Finishing her drink, she leaned forward and almost whispered; "Was she worth it? Mine never talks about her. John would just say that she was intriguing. Was she, or was it John's tendency to romanticize things? "

Licking her lips, Anthea answered, "She does seem to have that whole mysterious and sexy vibe down to an art form. Still, once you realize that she's always playing some angle, it gets old fast. Not surprised that Yours never talks about her. She did make him a proper fool for a short time. He probably thinks of her as some exotic creature that makes the world more magical by roaming the earth. You know. Like a snow leopard. Lovely to think about, but not something you want to cuddle up to."

Anthea took a quick drink before she leaned over with a wicked grin," Now! My turn, Little Cousin. Did you ever realize that Meat Dagger had an eerie resemblance to a certain pain in your arse?"

Molly groaned and facepalmed at that question. Surprisingly, it was the first time anyone asked her that question. With a sigh she said, "Not at first. The first few times we met were poorly lit pubs that some of my friends dragged me to for more socializing. By the time I got a good clear look at him it was too late. I liked him and I didn't think that HE would come crashing back into my life. Should have known universe seems to get a kick out of throwing the oddest things my way, when I think my life has finally smoothed out. "

Anthea chuckled a little bit at that. Still grinning, "Only you could land yourself in such a situation. He was -so- boring though. How did you stay awake with him just babble about the dullest things? At least Moriarty had an interesting personality."

A pained and embarrassed look crossed her face, when she realized she said -that- name. Even though the last Moriarty scare had been a crime boss trying to cash in on the dead criminal consultant's reputation, it still left Molly more than a bit nervous. Anthea didn't blame her one bit.

She whispered, "Sorry. Slipped my mind. Still, I will say that I was surprised that your own personal wrecking ball didn't deduce him within an inch of his life. That was a bit unusual for him. Maybe he's finally started growing up. Of course, if he did deduce Meat Dagger until the man left screaming, a lot of headaches could have been avoid. Maybe."

Molly snorted, "Yeah. I could see it. Those headaches would have been avoided and he would have found a whole new collection of headaches for us. He has a gift for that. Still, I think you're right. He has grown more since he came back. He use to be such a raw wire of energy. Now, he seems more in control of himself...unless someone asks him to do a speech. I'm pretty happy with the fact that he most likely won't be going to anymore weddings in the near future."

Both women smiled at the memory of Sherlock's best man speech that somehow ended with him saving a man's life and solving two cases that were oddly linked. Anthea always thought that the man should be bubble wrapped for not only his safety, but for those around him. The man sure knew how to attract trouble. Surprisingly, her little cousin seemed to prefer him that way.

Taking another shot, Molly piped up, "Okay. Let's go with something really big. What do you want more than anything else from Yours?"

Anthea opened her mouth and closed it a few times. She was tempted to lie, but decided against it. If she couldn't be honest with Molly, she might as well pack up and go home.

Taking a deep breath and trying to not blush, she answered simply, "To be dessert."

Molly looked at her cousin wide eyed and sputtered a bit, "Wait! What?! You...you actually think of him...-that- way?'

She was rather amazed at Anthea. She never gave any hints at all their get togethers that she might have felt that way about Mycroft. It was kind of like seeing your favorite celebrity or one of the Royals on the Tube. Unexpected and a little bizarre.

Anthea downed another shot before answering, "Yeah. I just hide it well. Less awkward that way. Not like you can judge. You asked a man out after he used a riding crop on a corpse. Seriously. What about that situation made you think that you needed to have a go with him?"

It was now Molly's turn to be slacked jawed and blushed. She had never been good at hiding her feeling or reactions. This actually helped Molly to win at cards because no one could believe that someone could be that bad of a liar. Anthea knew better.

She started laughing as Molly turned a deep red, "Oh, my god! The saying is true. It's always the quiet ones. I would never would have thought it of you."

Molly huffed a little as she rolled her eyes, "Like you have any ground to stand on. I can't believe you have a food kink. Not that I think you're prim in the bedroom, but that just sounds too messy."

Anthea gave a playful smirk, "Trust me. If you have the right partner, you're not messy for long. Okay. We are waaaay to sober. I can still see straight."

Molly gave a light giggle before she downed her shot, "My drink is broke. Please fix it."

Anthea smile as she poured more shots. It was time to get seriously drunk and forget about the Holmes boys for the rest of the night.


End file.
